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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. N. EATON.

MOTIVE MEGHANISM 0R GEARING.

No. 258,728. Patented May 30,1882.

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JNITED STATES PATENT Gr mes. I

OLIVER N. EATON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOTIVE MECHANISM OR GEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 258,728, dated May 30, 1882,

Application filed September 6, 1881.

To all whom "it may concern Be it known that I, OLIVER N. EATON, of the city of New York, in the county and State of NewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Motive Mechanism or Gearing, of which the following is a specification.

The chiefobject of my invention is to insure equal and uniform motive power in drivinggear when two or more such gears are used to actuate hoisting or similar machinery, and to provide an automatic means for such equalizing adjustment.

The scope of my invention includes its application to hoisting apparatus employingendless chains or ropes as a traveling ladder, and to all kinds of carriers employing two or more chains or ropes traveling upon or around pulleys or drums.

The instance ofau endless-rope hoisting-ladder will sufficiently illustrate the application of my invention. It has always been an obstacle to the use of such an elevator that owing to one endless rope happening from any cause to be longer than the other, or to the enlargement of the periphery of one pulley as compared with the other from accumulated dirt or other cause, one pulley would begin and continue to gain upon its companion and to drive its endless rope fasterand faster until the rounds connecting the rope sides of the ladder were at such an angle to the horizontal as to be useless for hanging anything on or until the rigidity of the right angles formed by the rounds and the sides of the endless ladder forced the leading rope to slip back upon the face of the faster pulley or lifted up the lagging rope to the proper level. Equalization thus accomplished is necessarily attended by great strain, friction, and wear, and is uncertain in time and quantityot' action. Where endless ropes or chains are used as horizontal carriers and one travels faster than the other it tends to throw off to one side the things or material carried.

My invention also equalizes automatically and instantlythe strain thrown upon the drivinggearing or mechanism through the unequal transmission of motive power.

Referring to the accompanying drawings as part of this specification, similar letters therein indicating similar parts, there is represented (No model.)

in Figure l a front elevation of my invention as applied to an endless traveling ladder composed of two rope sides connected by rounds, and intended for hoisting purposes; and in Fig. 2 a plan of the same on the median line a a. Fig. 3 shows a sectional elevation on a median perpendicular line through the foregoing views.

Fig. 5 shows a front elevation of a modifica tion of Fig. l, and Fig. 4 shows a sectional elevation of Fig. 5 on a median perpendicular line.

A A are uprights on a suitable base frame work, 0 0, having boxes for the shafts B and O. The shaft B here is supposed to receive motion by any ordinary meansas a crank or pulley and belt, or spur-gearing-and to communicate this motion through the pinion Fto the spur-wheel E, which is immovable upon the shaft 0. This spur-wheel E carries the bevelgearG,radially attached,as upon oneofits arms or spokes as an axle, and free to revolve thereupon. The bevel-gear Gr may he attached to the shaft O by means of a collar keyed thereupon, and having an arm suited to serve as an axlefor thebevel-gear,asshownatPinFigs.4and5. In this case motion maybe communicated through a pinion, S, and spur-wheel T by means of cranksV V; orany other of the ordinary means of applying power and transmitting motion may be adopted. This bevel-gear engages at opposite sides the bevel-gears H H, respectively connected by sleeves I 1 with the actuating or driving pulleys D D, all loosely hung on the shaft 0. Upon these pulleys D D and similar pulleys, K K, on the shaft L, which has hearings on asuitable frame-work,M M, properl y located, the endless ropes R R travel, and these ropes are connected by rounds J J, affixed by clips or any ordinary means.

The manner of operation is as follows: When the spur-wheel E is set in motion it carries with it, during revolution, the bevel-gear G, which thus communicates equal motion to the bevel-gears H H, which, by their connecting-sleeves I' I, in turn communicate equal motion to thedriving-pulleysDD,andthrough them to the endless ladder itself. When the shaft (3 in Figs.4 and 5is set in motion through the spur-gearing or otherwise it revolves the arm or axle P and the bevel-gear G about a common center, and this bevel-gear, during revolution, engaging on opposite sides the bevel-gears H H and their connections, conseqnently communicates equal motion to them similarly, as just explained. With such an arrangement of moving parts, if the rope R, for example, runs faster than its companion rope, R, from any cause, there immediately results a tendency to close the right angles (1, h, a, and e to acute angles, and to open the right angles 0, g, I), andfto obtuse angles, which tendency is resisted by the rigidity ofthe natural angle, and the resistanceis proportionate to the number of angles and amount of strain, and is immediately felt by the driving-pulley D, which is thereby turned backward upon the shaft (J and itself correspondingly revolves the bevelgear H through the connecting-sleeve I, and thus causes a supplementary revolution of the bevel-gearG,which in its turn causes the bevelgear H and through the connecting-sleevel the driving-pulley D to move a corresponding distance in the opposite direction. The driving-pulley D is thus accelerated until it is equal in speed and power with its fellow; or thefaster rope may be regarded as lifting up its lagging companion by the rigidity of the right angles a, b, 0, and d and 0, g, and h, the peculiar location and movement of the equalizin g-gearin g permittin gthe necessaryreci procal movement of the driving-pulleys. The practical effect, however, is the same, and automatic and instant adjustment is completely secured. The sleeves I I are introduced to occupy intervening space and to obviate the necessity of having the gear-wheel G of large diameter, which might mar the true proportion of the machinery. It is obvious that the same desideratum may be reached by interposing in a line on the shaft 0 an odd number of suitable gear-wheels, the outside members of the series finally engaging suitable gearing upon the driving-pulleys. This mechanism obviates the slipping of the ropes upon the faces of the pulleys, which is always attended with great friction and wear, and is only consequent upon great contortion. This construction keeps the rounds always horizontal, the traveling ropes at the same rate of speed, and the strain and motive power of the driving-pulleys exactly equal.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In motive mechanism or gearing, the arrangement of two actuating or driving pulleys or drums connected together by interposed gearing for the purpose and in the manner substantially as set forth.

2. In motive mechanism or gearing,thecombination of two or more driving or winding pulleys or drums connected by interposed gearing whereby these motive pulleys or drums are allowed reciprocal movement to compensate for unequal motion.

3. In motive mechanism or gearing, a driving-gear bearing radially gearing suited to communicate motion to and allow reciprocal movement of actuating pulleys or drums on each side.

In testimony whereofl have hereun to signed my name this 2d dayof September,A.D. 1881, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OLIVER N. EATON.

Witnesses:

WM. S. BAINTON, J A0013 Rn'r'rie. 

